The Darkness In Me
by Littledreamer12
Summary: (Summary comes later, but it's a Rumbelle story, that's for certain)


Prologue

Once upon a time in a far off land, called the Enchanted Forest, there were two people who were destined to fall in love with each other. She, a beautiful, young lass with hazelnut locks that curled over her shoulders, and deep blue eyes, like the reflection of a bright summer sky, and a smile that was just as radiant. And not only her looks made her stood out of the crowd. Her soul was pure, brave and kind as well, truly fit for the princess that she was. He, on the other hand, wasn't as handsome to look at. His hair was thin and grey around the edges, his eyes were cold and dark just as his murderous soul, and smiling was something he never did. On top of that, he was a fair amount older than her, given that he'd lived the lives of several men together already. But despite their many differences, they would find true love in each other. She'd keep the light in his heart, and he'd offer her wisdom in return. Everything would've been perfect, if not for a minor detail. They never _really_ met.

Chapter 1

By the break of dawn, a man put on his cloak, making sure that most of his face was neatly covered. He picked up his basket as well and any other utensils he would need for the little trip he'd planned. It wasn't going to take him long, just a quick visit to the neighbouring kingdom. It was going to be a business transaction, something that he was very adept at. But, he wasn't just a regular merchant, selling whatnots at markets and fairs. No, what he traded in was far more precious and valuable. He called it "deals". Most of the times he merely offered obscure objects, whimsies and magical trinkets that kings or whiny princesses fancied. But sometimes, very rarely, on a lucky day, he could persuade people into signing contracts that would change their lives forever. And today was such a day, even though the one who was going to sign, didn't know yet.

Happily whistling, the man walked out the doors of his castle. For ordinary people, it would take at least a couple of hours to travel from his side of the forest to the other, but since he had magic, there was no need for walking or carriage riding. He could simply teleport wherever he wanted. And so he did. Only about a mile from his destination, did he stop himself. The gravel crackled under his shoes, just like the thunderstorm that was coming his way. "The _perfect_ day for deals, indeed," he smirked.

Suddenly a branch snapped behind him. He instantly turned around, making sure he remained hidden behind his hood. "Who goes there? You can show yourself," he said in a sing-songy voice. A young woman stepped from behind the bush at the side of the road, her cheeks a little pink, if it was because of the cold or because she was blushing he couldn't tell.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir. I was just walking and all of a sudden you appeared out of nowhere. I didn't mean to, but I w-was scared, I mean not scared, it just gave me fright, and er-" she stammered.

Slightly annoyed at her clumsy way of talking, the man answered: "Well, that's OK, no need for apologies. But do continue on your way, I've no interest in small talk." He turned back and wanted to move on.

"Er, just excuse me, are you delivering something for the wedding?" she quickly asked. "Because, if so, I must disappoint you, the wedding is not going to happen because of the ongoing ogre wars."

"Wedding? Do I look like I care about weddings. I'm here to discuss something more serious... dearie. Which, quite frankly, is none of your business. So if I were you, I would really go _now_." the man said, closing the distance between them. She took a step back, breathing a little faster. _"Go_ _,_ " he whispered. She nodded and swirled around.

"Nahahaha," he snickered. "Now, what _was_ I doing here? Oh yes, hihi, _a deal_!" he said in a high tone, while rubbing his hands in excitement. He walked the last bit until he reached the farthest wall. Then, with a poof, he transported himself to the throne room, and banged on the doors. From inside he could hear startled murmuring. "It can't be him, how would he have got past the walls? They're guarded all around!" a low voice said. "Open it!" A sword was drawn from its sheath.

"Now that was bit of a let-down," the hooded man said, who'd suddenly appeared on the throne. "You sent me a message, something about er... HELP! HELP! WE'RE DYING! CAN YOU SAVE US? Now, the answer is... yes." He stood up and started walking back and forth, looking everyone who was present in the eye. "Yes, yes, I can save your little kingdom. For a price, of course."

"What do you want? We can offer you treasure, silver, diamonds, gold, mountains of it," the king stepped forward.

"Haha, yes, you see, I _make_ gold. No, no, no no, what I want is something more _special_ for my services. How about," he said, doing a funny movement with his hands," your daughter?" The king looked appalled. "Hahaha, take it or leave it, dearie. But, _tick-tock-tick-tock_ , I don't have all day."

"I don't have a daughter!" the king exclaimed. "Rumplestiltskin, you can have everything you desire, but I can't give you what I don't have."

"Tututut! Am I hearing this right?" Rumple asked, feigning shock, "Is there no daughter of yours around? Why, I must have been _terribly_ misinformed. Too bad. But I will have to claim something else the-"

At that moment rapid footsteps approached the door. "Papa, papa?!" A girl of about twelve years burst through the doors. Rumple giggled, "I thought there wasn't a daughter? Is _everyone_ lying to me?" The king wanted to interrupt, "Don't," Rumple's hand shot in the air, "dear king, she is mine. I urgently need a caretaker for my rather _big_ estate. I admit, I expected her to be... a _titbit_ older, but she'll do just fine scrubbing my floors. Well, deal done, I'd say, consider the ogre war finished by the morrow," he said, amused.

He snapped his fingers, and both of them vanished into a cloud of purple smoke. The king and his men stared, horrified, at the spot where they'd disappeared. After a minute, the king gathered his wits. "He just took her like that," he turned to look at the younger man standing next to him, "Gaston, he took your sister. The beast took your sister."


End file.
